Monster
by Discordence
Summary: After losing her husband to a sinister force controlling her son, Kimberly Hart must make it though his childhood without turning into the thing that's living inside of her son; a monster. Side-story to "Just Another Snowflake" by fluttershy smile (with permission!).
1. Aftermath

**A/N: So, this is Troy's backstory in "Just Another Snowflake" by ****fluttershy smile****. I really want to thank her for allowing me to write this (Yes, I got permission), and I REALLY recommend reading JASF first (It's a really awesome story and there are some things from the book that are in here). ****With that, I don't own Power Rangers or Just Another Snowflake. I only own certain ideas in the story (which I'll announce at the end of each chapter).**

**_Chapter 1: Aftermath_**

_Date: January 3__rd__, 1998_

He was gone. She hated to admit it, but he was gone.

It had only been a few weeks since his death, but it still sucked. The loving family Kimberly hoped to have, now that her son came into the world, wouldn't be complete anymore. What would she do when her child would ask where his father is? Would she flat out lie to him about his father's whereabouts, blaming it on divorce or death with no reasoning behind it? Or would she be honest and tell the truth:

"Daddy died giving his life energy up after you were killed by the 'Lord of Shadows'."

The Lord of Shadows being Lord Sombre. The family first learned of him when Kim's son was born. The newborn's eyes were replaced with complete inky blackness that seemed to…drip. It scared Kim to no end, but her husband stood strong, and told her what was going on with their baby. A highly-skilled doctor had rushed over and took the child away to do an incredibly dangerous procedure that could save or kill the child. Spoiler; it saved him, but Sombre was still lurking inside.

Kim was given back the child, and she could see two beautiful, dark sapphire eyes looking at her and her husband. When the doctor mentioned how he was a soldier through the entirety of the operation, the husband saw it fitting to name their son "Troy". Kim couldn't agree with him more.

_"__I just know that this is the start of a new life, and I'm happy to spend it with you." _Kim could remember him say as she felt his kiss on her cheek again.

"Yeah, I'm happy to spend it with you too." She muttered as she sat alone at the dining table. The kitchen was dark, and the only kind of light came from the television in the living room. The blinds were shut, and the Miami news was on, but Kim tuned it out.

Her wrists touched her forehead as she sat in her world of silence, and Kim wondered how long she could sit in this position without going numb.

The time read 8:15 P.M., and her friends and family back in California would be enjoying their dinner right about now. Good for them.

_Good for them that they're enjoying themselves. _Kim thought as she heard a loud ringing noise. The wall phone was ringing, and when Kim picked it up, she could hear the sound of purring on the other line.

"Hi, Louie! How's it going?" Kim answered in a concealing sweet tone. The kitten meowed into the phone as a reply.

"Louie!" That voice definitely belonged to Katrina Hart, Kim's mother. "Oh, sorry about that, Kim. I set the phone down to help Gerald for a second, and the next thing I know is that Louie took my call." The older woman laughed as if the event was a funny joke. "So, how have you and Troy been?"

"We—I—could be better." Kim's attitude dropped back to where it was before she answered.

"Kimberly, dear," Her mother caught the tone of sadness. "I know it's hard losing him, but you should remember he loves you very much and would want to see you caring for Troy to the best of your ability, right?" Kim nodded, covering her mouth with her hand and sniffing loudly as tears strolled down her face.

"R-Right." She answered her mother.

"Kim…are you okay?" Katrina asked. She only heard a few faint sniffs. "Dear, are you still on the other end? Are you still there, Kimberly?"

"Mm-hmm." Kim replied, a few small whines escaping her mouth.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry. He was the best husband, and Troy would've had a great father." That was when Kimberly emotionally broke down, the first of many to come. The cries of grief erupted on the other end, and Katrina would never be on the same level of sadness her daughter was on. Neither would Gerald, who came into the Hart home office after putting away the dishes. The sound of crying filled his ears.

"Trina, who's crying? Is it Debbie again?" He asked his wife.

"No, it's Kimberly. She's crying over her dead husband." Katrina covered the bottom of the landline and replied.

"Wait, he's—she wasn't—I…I can't believe it. Dear, can I talk to Kim?" Katrina handed the phone over and sat on the stool next to the phone chair, to which Gerald sat in.

"Kimberly? Kimberly, it's your father." She was still crying. "Baby girl, calm down, okay? Take a deep breath." Kim did as she was told. Her lungs filled with air, a few stutters along the way. "And exhale." The air was released, and truth be told, Kim felt calmer.

"Wow, it worked…thanks, Dad." Kim stated, smiling a bit.

"You're welcome, Kimberly. I know you answered this question for your mother, but answer it for me; how are you and Troy doing?"

"In all honesty, besides my grief, we're doing pretty well. Troy's been very healthy, and it's all thanks to the diet I set up for him."

"Let me guess, you feed him chopped up vegetables and fruits while still having the mandatory bottle for him to drink."

"…Maybe."

"Ha! I got it right on the first try!" Kim giggled at her father's triumph before hearing him sigh. "You're never going to get rid of that athlete mentality of yours, are you?"

"Hey, just because I finished my career doesn't mean I can't continue to eat right."

"Don't you mean Troy, dear?"

"Dad!" Kim shouted, giggling. "Stop!"

Gerald chuckled a bit. "Okay, okay. So, um, Jason stopped by today." Kim's heart stopped. Why would Jason of all people go to her parents' house?

"That's…nice. Why?"

"He asked about the next time you're visiting Angel Grove. Said something about you meeting his wife and Troy meeting his little girl."

"Oh, wow, I wish I could, but I can't afford two plane tickets to Angel Grove. Maybe he could visit me." Kim recommended.

"I'll tell him when he comes by again." During his answer, Kim shot a quick look at the time. 8:30 P.M.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Kim?"

"I think I'm going to call it a night. It's pretty late now."

"It's only 5:30…Oh! You live in Miami now. Right."

"Yeah. Good night." Kim concluded.

"Kim?"

"Yes, Dad?"

"Don't dwell on your husband's death. Wherever he is in heaven, I know he's watching you and Troy as you both grow. If you ever need to talk about him, me and your mother will be here for a call, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, too, Kimberly. Good night."

"Good night." Kim placed the phone back onto its place on the wall. She proceeded to walk to the television and turned it off. Running up the stairs, she peeked into the nursery and saw little baby Troy sleeping soundly. The tan teddy bear his dad gave him after winning it at an annual Miami fair was present in the crib, the bear's rounded hand being squeezed by Troy's tiny fist.

Just as Kim was leaving the nursery, she heard a small whine. Turning her head, she saw Troy twitching around in the crib, quiet whines escaping his mouth.

"No…it can't be…" Kim muttered in fear as she ran over and pulled Troy into her arms, bouncing him a bit. "Shh…don't cry, Troy. Mommy's right here, everything's gonna be okay." She continued to bounce him in her arms until he opened his eyes, and when she saw the dripping black eyes, Kim confirmed that her worst fear came true.

Sombre was still living inside of her child.

She had to be hallucinating; she had to. Sombre was destroyed when her husband gave his life energy away, he had to be…

**-Monster-**

_The date was December 20__th__, 1997, two weeks after Troy was born. While the baby boy was put to bed, Kim and her husband were watching a movie together, Kim curling up next to him._

_"__See, what did I tell you, Kim? I knew you'd like this movie." Her husband stated, kissing her cheek._

_"__Yes, yes, you were right. I like this movie a lot." Kim admitted as she threw some kernels of popcorn into her mouth. The couple snuggled together as they saw the credits begin to roll._

_Kim got up and stretched. "Well, I think I'll be going off to bed. See you when you finish cleaning." She joked as she leaned down and kissed her husband's cheek. By the time he tried to stop her, she was already running up the stairs._

_As he shut the television off and saved the leftover popcorn for tomorrow, his eyes traveled over a picture of him, Kimberly, and Troy that was taken a week ago, before the family went to the fair and he won Troy a stuffed tan bear with a red bow. He smiled at how he and Kim both looked down at Troy, who was in Kimberly's arms. Though the photographer cut her arms out and the picture came out in an unbelievably clear black and white, he let it slide because it was a perfect picture of a happy family._

_Until he heard a shrill scream, which belonged to Kim._

_He dashed up the stairs and into the nursery, where he saw Kim trying to soothe a crying Troy. He sighed a bit in relief, but kept his guard up._

_"__Kim, why'd you scream?" He asked, and Kim turned to face him._

_"__Dear…it's…Sombre. He's coming!" She shout-whispered. As she was about to speak, a large dark mass left Troy's body and levitated in the air, watching the family. Troy fell silent in an instant, which caused Kimberly to worry as she dropped to her knees to check on him._

_"__Troy!" She cried, shaking her baby. "Troy, wake up! Please!" He didn't move, and Kim refused to believe Troy possibly died in her arms. Her husband, seeing her in distress, moved in front of her for protection._

_"__What did you do to my son, Sombre?!" He asked in anger._

_"__Oh, did I upset you? I didn't mean to…" Sombre toyed, his deep voice becoming incredibly intimidating._

_"__Don't be so coy with me! What did you do to Troy?!"_

_"__I released myself using his dreams as a path. And now that I am free, you can't save him!" Sombre unleashed a deep, evil laugh, and with no hope for Troy's survival, he looked to give in, unless…_

_"__Kim, let me see Troy!" As his wife showed his child to him, he placed two fingers on his heart and looked up at Sombre. "Maybe doctors can't save him, but I can!"_

_Taking a deep breath, he let his life energy, colored a sparkling yellow-gold, transfer from his body to Troy's._

_"__No!" Sombre shouted. The dark spirit flew towards Troy's chest, but the light became so bright it was hard to tell where Sombre had actually gone. _

_The light had flickered away, and Kim's husband dropped to the floor unmoving. Just as Kim was going to check on him, she felt movement against her torso and looked down. Troy was moving around in the crook of her arm before falling asleep. Her husband, however, remained motionless, and as Kim shook him, she held Troy against her and cried the rest of the night._

**-Monster-**

Kim continued to look into Troy's dripping eyes, hoping that Sombre won't come out, and when her baby blinked, those recognizable sapphire orbs looked at her before Troy decided to fall asleep. Sighing in relief, she kissed the top of his head, laid him down in his crib, and wrapped his arms around the teddy bear. As Kim was halfway out the door, she smiled. Though Sombre was back inside of Troy, at least she knew her baby would be there for her when she woke up in the morning.

**A/N: I have sworn to not reveal who Troy's father is, and I shall continue to until I get the OK. Everything else, for the most part, is in "Just Another Snowflake", so if you've read the story, this is like an in-depth version, but you should check out JASF regardless. **

**I wanna give a whole lotta thanks to ****fluttershy smile**** for allowing me to write this fic, and while I already recommended "Just Another Snowflake", I also recommend her Troy/Orion story, "Falling For A Ruby Made of Glass". Thank you so much for your permission, and I hope you like it so far! : )**


	2. Jason's Visit

**_Chapter 2: Jason's Visit_**

_Date: September 12th, 1998_

She didn't dare sit up from her silk bed. Last night's activities kept her awake with little energy to keep her going. Had it not been for Sombre, Kim would've done something to permanently keep Troy quiet. Thankfully, the demon was the entire reason Troy kept her up with his screaming and crying.

Somehow, Troy fought him off from being released, and he wasn't even a year old yet.

Similar to how her child fought Sombre off, Kim tried to fight off the agitation to hurt Troy after his cries of pain kept her from even closing her eyes. It compelled her to even check on him at the ungodly hour of six o'clock in the morning. If she did, he could still be screaming out while fighting off Sombre. If she didn't, Troy would die.

Kim decided to check, just in case he _did_ calm down and go to sleep, but she kept her guard up.

Officially rising from her bed, Kim donned a light pink lace dress and pink flip flops to match. She brushed down the frizzles and poufy styling of her bedhead, scrubbed her teeth, and walked out of her bathroom fresh as a daisy.

Kim placed her ear to the door and listened intently. No sound was muffled by her white wood door, and opening up to the hallway she continued to hear silence. The flip flops made a loud noise as it moved across the dark floor, and Kim ceased the noise by taking them off and tossing them into her room, her feet shivering against the cold wood.

"Here goes nothing." Kim muttered as she slowly opened the door to the nursery. Inside, the walls were painted a soft sea green that mixed well with the dark brown, hardwood floor. Dawn seeped through open cracks in the white window blinds and touched the corner of the blue, wooden toy box. A red dragon plush, a matching green one and a pink pterodactyl plush with movable wings were placed next to each other on the top of a bookcase. Next to it was the most recent picture of Kim, her husband, and Troy, all huddled together for her husband's last picture. Below that were two shelves filled with picture books. Parallel to it was a tall lamp with a black shade and a small white crib, the mobile not spinning at the moment. It was half-a-foot deep with red bedding and a protective interior wall that had the same shade of red to it. The mobile had five different, small plastic dinosaurs each hanging from green string; a red tyrannosaurus, a yellow sabertooth, a blue triceratops, a black mastodon, and a pink pterodactyl with opened wings.

Inside the crib, Troy was peacefully sleeping with a red pacifier in his mouth, the teddy bear in his tiny arms. Kim sighed in relief; her baby had stopped his never-ending wailing and Sombre wasn't freed. Smiling a bit, she reached over and tapped on Troy's cheek lightly, and the boy's eyes fluttered open, their dark blue color fixated on his mother.

"Good morning, Troy." Kim cooed softly as she released his hold on the teddy bear and pulled him into her arms. Kissing the top of his head, she walked out of the nursery and traveled down the stairs. As Kim made her way into the kitchen, she sat Troy down in his high chair as she made them both oatmeal for breakfast.

Setting down a small plastic bowl on the tray and a larger one on the dining table, Kim removed the pacifier from Troy's mouth and took a small spoonful of oatmeal. She moved it closer to his mouth.

"Okay, Troy, open up the cave for the dinosaur." Kim sang as she fed Troy the oatmeal, the boy showing no signs of resistance. She lifted another spoonful up and Troy ate it. Eventually, the entire bowl was empty and Kim took her son in her arms to burp him before setting him down so he could toy with the building blocks. Kim then reclined on her couch and turned on the TV for the morning news.

**-Monster-**

A red SUV drove through the quiet suburbs of Miami, Florida, and a young man was looking for a specific house that sheltered his little sister Kimberly Ann Hart and her infant son; his nephew. As much as he hated to leave his wife and baby girl alone back in Angel Grove, he needed to check on Kim after her husband's undeserving death.

Who better to visit Kim than Jason Lee Scott?

He found out through Kim's parents when he visited last, which was last week. They claimed to have called Kimberly back in mid-January, asking her about a potential visit to Angel Grove, to which she declined having the ability to. While it bummed Jason out, he was determined to see her and to meet her baby boy. He only heard about Troy when he was born, but never heard from Kim or anyone close to her until now. It cost him a lot of money, but Jason managed to go from California to Florida all in his car, with a few stops of course.

His eyes took gaze upon a white two-story house with a black roof, but Jason noticed the dark green car and knew he'd found the right house, Kim's house. Pulling up next to the car in the driveway, Jason got out and sighed; Miami was a really beautiful place to live, although it was a bit cold due to the changing season. Shutting the door and locking his car, Jason made his way to the front door.

**-Monster-**

Kim had then moved to the kitchen warming up a baby bottle for Troy to drink; she wasn't in the mood for breastfeeding. As the clear-view bottle spun on the turntable, she could see Troy still playing with the blocks. Kim giggled a bit as she saw him catapult the red block onto the blue one, the thrown object sliding off. Troy decided to try a green one next after the red one failed.

"You're funny, Troy, cute and funny." Kim whispered as she turned her attention to the bottle. Taking it out of the microwave, she walked over to her son and placed his hands on the bottle as she heard a knock on the front door. As Troy proceeded to teethe on the nipple of the bottle, trying to get the milk out, Kim cleaned herself off a bit before opening the door.

It was Jason.

"Jason?!" Kim cried as she hugged him tightly, tears beginning to pour down her cheeks. "I can't believe you would come all the way here to see me!"

"After hearing what happened to your husband, I needed to see you. I wanted to make sure you were okay and I wanted to finally meet my little nephew. Where is he, by the way?" Jason removed himself from the hug and tried to look past her. Kim led him inside the house, shutting the front door.

"Stay right here. I'll get him." Kim winked before traveling into the living room, seeing Troy teething on the nipple. She took the bottle in her hand and pulled Troy into the crook of the opposite arm, letting his small mouth cover the end of bottle, drawing in the milk. Kim, forgetting that Jason was waiting for her in the front room, softly sang to Troy as she cradled him, feeding him the milk from the bottle. She began to dance in a circle around the living room, her eyes never leaving her son.

The singing was loud enough to attract Jason to her. He strolled into the room and smiled as he saw Kim dancing and singing in a circle. In her arms was his nephew, or so Jason assumed. It looked like the baby was drinking milk from the baby bottle as he shut his eyes to listen to his mother's music.

"I guess you don't breastfeed." Jason stated from behind Kim, who jumped back a bit.

"No, not very often, to be honest. I do sometimes, but it reminded me of my husband, so I didn't do it as much as I used to." She admitted placing the baby bottle on the coffee table. She sat down on the couch and placed Troy on her lap.

Jason took a seat next to her. "What does sex have to do with breastfeeding?"

"_Jason!_" Kim hissed, gesturing to Troy.

"Oh, right. Sorry." He reclined back. "You should start doing it again, though."

"I'll consider it." Kim replied. Troy faced her, and she proceeded to play with his small arms, singing softly to him. Jason scooted close to her.

"What's his name?" He asked.

Kim continued playing with Troy's arms, her focus still on the child. "His name's Troy. We agreed to it because of the name's meaning."

"What does it mean?"

"Soldier. It refers to his act during an operation he had when he was a newborn."

"What happened? A birth defect?" Kim looked up, her face showing one of fear. If she revealed to Jason about Sombre and what Troy's role was, would the Lord of Shadows' minions come after her and take Troy away to…'that place'?

"Um…I can't tell you, Jason. As much as I want to, I just can't tell you what happened to Troy when he was born."

Jason nodded. "I understand completely, Kim. My little girl was born with something that I promised my wife I wouldn't share. I guess I'm in the same boat." Kim giggled as she ceased playing with Troy's arms. She took the baby into her own arms and walked off.

"Wait!" Jason called. "Where're you going with Troy?"

"I'm putting him down for a nap. Why?"

"Let me say 'Hi' first." Jason then was even with Kim's arm, looking straight into Troy's dark sapphires. The boy only watched him, and Jason smiled while chuckling a bit.

"Hi there, Troy! I'm your uncle, Jason. It's so nice to meet you!" He shook Troy's small hand as Kim trudged up the wooden stairs. He followed, standing a few feet away from the doorway.

The nursery looked amazing to him, the wooden décor standing out from the soft colors of the room. Jason especially liked the mobile; it reminded him of his time as a Power Ranger, Kim being the Pink Ranger alongside his lead. He saw Kim softly kiss Troy's head and lay him down, turning the Precambrian-era designed mobile on. A recording of Kim's singing played as Troy's eyes fluttered closed.

Kim gently closed the door and turned to see Jason waiting for her. They both walked down the stairs and sat down at the kitchen table.

"So, Jason, how's your family?"

"Well, as your dad told you, I'm happily married to a great woman and we have a beautiful baby girl, Morgen."

"Morgen Lee Scott; it rolls off the tongue nicely. " Kim commented.

"Actually, Morgen's last name is 'Stevens'. Her mom and I were dating when she was born. A month afterward, I proposed to her, and the wedding was a month later."

"Oh yeah, sorry I couldn't be there. I couldn't get a plane ticket back to Angel Grove. Besides, I was having morning sickness with being three months pregnant."

"Kim, with all the apology calls, I forgive you for every single one of them. You didn't feel well and you couldn't afford it. Trust me, I understand."

"Thanks, big brother." Kim smiled, kissing his cheek. Jason kissed her cheek back as he got up and stretched.

"Well, it's been fun, but I'm gonna head back to Angel Grove. I told my wife I'd be here for the day, and it looks like the sun is setting." Kim looked out of the sliding glass door to the backyard and saw shades of purple and pink in the sky. She followed Jason to the front room and opened the door for him. They hugged one last time before Jason walked to his red SUV.

"See you later, alligator!" Kim called as she waved him goodbye.

"In a while, crocodile!" Jason shouted back as he drove off. Shutting the door, Kim sniffed a few homesick tears back, thinking about how everyone would be ecstatic to have Kim back home. As she walked into the living room, she gazed at the glorious sunset and smiled, deciding her next move.

"I'm coming home."


	3. Homecoming

**_Chapter 3: Homecoming_**

_Date: February 6__th__, 1999_

_It took a long time, with reserving the Miami home while getting packed and having the paperwork complete, but it was finalized. Kimberly Hart was moving back to Angel Grove. _

_She smiled to herself as she drove through the Midwest, the dark green car recently filled up with gas. Kim looked behind her to see Troy, who was now officially a year old. He was fast asleep in his seat, the red pacifier moving in sync with his slow but calm breathing. Kim chuckled quietly as she focused back on the endless desert road in front of her. _

_As she began humming to herself, she could hear shuffling from the backseat. Looking, she saw Troy moaning a bit and shifting around his seat, trying to fight Sombre off._

_That demon won't be released now, and he'll stay inside his prison for as long as Troy is alive. That is something Kim will make sure of. _

_The ride stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, and Kim could feel a pounding headache as she tried to keep her eyes on the road and her hands on the steering wheel._

**"****_Hello there, Kimberly._****"** _That deep, menacing voice definitely belonged to Lord Sombre._

_"__What do you want?" Kim asked, muttering_.

**"****_You think I demand something from you? How funny._****"** _Sombre deadpanned, laughing a bit._

_"__I know you want to be freed from my son's body, but tough toes." Kim snarled._

**"****_Your boy is very resilient and is a strong fighter. If I wasn't trapped inside of him, he would've been a perfect addition to my army if he were older._****"**

_"__Pfft, sure. But Troy will remain alive as long as he keeps fighting. He'll…"_

**_"_****_Believe what you will, Kimberly. Enjoy your son while he lasts, for when the hour arrives, he won't live to see the daylight again."_**

_"__Yeah, sure…" Kim was cut off as the headache became louder and harder. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as the car began to swerve wildly._

**"****_Think about it; all those years you spent protecting your son from my release will be nothing when that fatal hour approaches. And to think, you don't know when the hour will strike and you'll lose your young child. Is that something you want to experience down the road, Kimberly?_****"**

_"__Shut up."_

**_"_****_I…"_**

_"__I said shut up!" Kim screamed as the car was steered off of the road when it struck a cluster of cacti. As smoke poured out from the hood, Kim could hear her name being shouted from a distance as everything turned black._

**-Monster-**

"Kim!" Katrina shook her daughter roughly. "Wake up!" She pushed hard on Kim's torso to wake her up from what Katrina believes is a nightmare. Gerald was at the doorway, cradling a jacket in his arm. He watched his wife in fear that his daughter was mortally comatose while there was no word on his infant grandson. He feared the worst for Troy after the intensity of the crash, and it was bad luck that the baby was seated behind his mother.

He heard a moan and looked to see Kimberly waking up, rubbing her temple. "What happened?"

"Kim, you caused a car accident that injured you, and…" Gerald was cut off as Kim looked around the hospital room frantically.

"Where's Troy?!" She shouted. "Where is he?! Is he okay?!"

"Kimberly, dear, calm down. I'm sure he's okay." Katrina held Kim's hand. "We have to hope the best for little Troy."

"Yes…" Gerald was then pulled from the room and a doctor held a clipboard as the men faced each other in the hospital hallway.

"You're Gerald Hart, correct?"

"Correct. Is everything okay?"

"…Come with me." As Gerald followed with a deep feeling of worry, the doctor opened a hospital door to reveal a mess of wires and tubes leading to one point, a bassinette that hosted a small, battered one-year-old.

"No…Troy…" Gerald muttered as he saw tubes lead into Troy's nose and sensors were on the baby's chest and other areas of his body.

"It's a miracle he even survived the crash in the first place." The doctor commented. "He was coated in his and his mother's blood, and was barely breathing when we took him into intensive care. It's like some kind of force spared him."

"God bless that." Gerald sighed in relief as Katrina kept Kim on her feet as the women entered the room. She took in what her son's condition was and she let out a cry.

"TROY!" Kim shoved her mother down and ran to the bassinette, seeing all of the tubes and wires going into and on her child. She placed her hand on his cheek, rubbing it softly.

"N-No…please, anything but this!" She cried out as her mother and father dragged her away from Troy as doctors huddled around him for treatment.

**-Monster-**

_Date: April 20__th__, 1999_

Two months had passed since the incident, and Kim was laying in her old bed back in her parents' home, waiting for Gerald to return home with or without a baby in his arms. Her left arm and right leg were broken as a result, and her mind was knocked out of balance a bit. Other than that, Kimberly was fine.

"Are you awake?" Katrina asked as she poked her head into the pink-filled room. Kimberly nodded as the door was fully opened. Katrina pulled a lacquer wood crib into the room, and it was set right next to the door, underneath the light switch.

"Do you already know?" Kim asked.

"No, this is just in case." Her mother replied, kneeling next to her daughter. "Kim, do you think Troy will come home?"

"…I don't know, to be honest. I want him to be with me again, to continue his father's legacy name, but…"

"You also think the injuries he sustained would be too much for him, and he could've died."

"Y-Yeah." Kim pulled the covers closer to her as she heard the garage open, which was Katrina's cue to leave.

"Please, Sombre, please keep my son alive…please keep Troy alive." Kim prayed as tears fell out of her eyes. She felt a throbbing headache as she laid down in the bed, looking around her room with misty eyes. She let whines escape her mouth before her mother placed a finger on her quivering lips.

"Kim, are you ready?" She nodded. As Katrina opened the door, what Kim saw shocked her and shook her world completely.

"Hey, look, it's Mommy!" Gerald whispered to Troy, who looked to be okay. Katrina took Troy from her husband and placed the baby in the crook of Kim's unharmed arm. Troy looked up at his mother and did a cute little smile for her. Kim smiled in return as she kissed his forehead.

"Hi, Troy! I missed you very much." Kim whispered in happiness to her baby, who took hold of her shirt. "And it seems like you missed me too."

"Glad to see you two reunited." Gerald nodded and chuckled. "I'd hate it if Troy had slipped away, but he was true to his birth-name; he was a soldier."

"Yeah, he was." Kimberly agreed as Troy began to fall asleep in her arm. Katrina took notice and scooped him up, laying him in the crib.

"We'll get his teddy bear along with your luggage, so sit tight." She told Kim as the Hart couple left the room.

"Thank you, Sombre." Kim whispered as she looked over at Troy, who was fast asleep in the crib.

She felt a headache. "_This is a one-time event. Don't get him killed or injured mortally anymore. Understand?_"

"Yes. He'll be safe. Anything for you…"

"_Good. The hour, I can assure you, won't come until your child is much older. Protect him while you can stand it. What I want, I'll get, and I'll wear you down until you're on the brink of collapse._"

"No…Troy will be safe…from you!" Kim whisper-shouted as she sat up. Katrina and Gerald had re-entered the room and placed the luggage down on the carpet. Kim's mother pulled out the teddy bear and wrapped Troy's arms around it. The red pacifier then followed as Gerald stuck it into Troy's mouth. As he set up everything else in the room, Katrina held Kimberly's hand.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah." Kim smiled. "I'm just fine knowing my little boy's alive. Whatever miracle happened to save him I thank."

"Why do that? He already has a guardian angel with him. You!"

"Me? I'm Troy's mother. What do I possess to be his 'guardian angel'?"

"Everything. When your husband died, you were heartbroken to no end, but you remembered the tiny baby you had and never gave him up. You gave life to Troy, you nursed him, you fed him, you played with him, and most of all you loved him dearly. Troy couldn't have a better mother than you, Kimberly."

"He was hurt in a car crash that I caused!"

"While that is true, you called 911 and put Troy's life before yours. You'll die for him." Kim cringed on the inside with the sentence. "You're the angel to protect him from anything that could hurt him."

"Well, I can't argue with that…" Kim giggled quietly as Katrina playfully smacked her daughter's good arm and laughed loudly.

"Shh, Troy's asleep, Mom." Kimberly pointed at the crib and Katrina saw her grandson sleeping peacefully, Gerald looming over him with a warm smile. "He needs some sleep after all he's been through these past few months, don't you think?"

"Yes, I agree." Gerald moved from the crib to the bed, tucking his daughter in. "And so do you, Kimberly. The crash and all of your screaming must've tuckered you out, right? We'll let you and Troy sleep in. Leave everything else to us, okay?"

"Dad…" Kim began to rise from her bed before Katrina stopped her.

"Dear, please get some sleep. You were in a car crash, you saw your little boy on life support, you screamed a lot, and you're injuries are slowing you down in a bad way right now. Kimberly, Troy has the right idea." She pointed at the crib.

"Oh, alright. It's no use arguing sleep." Both Katrina and Gerald kissed Kimberly good night and turned the light off. Kim laid in the silent darkness, smiling to herself as she fell asleep.


	4. A Somber Fever

**_Chapter 4: A Somber Fever_**

_Date: June 20__th__, 1999_

While summers for Kim were nice and moderate, this one seemed to leave a blister. It was humid and the air was sticky, and it was weather that the Hart family didn't respond nicely to.

Worst of all, it caused severe fevers.

The sun gave Katrina and Gerald sweltering ones, but Kim avoided any kind of contact from outside. Sitting next to her mother's bed, she folded a wet towel in half like a hot-dog-fold and laid it on Katrina's forehead.

"K-Kim." Katrina began, struggling to get the words out. "I-Is everything okay? Are you and T-Troy okay?"

"Yes, Mom, we're just fine. Troy's near the air conditioning in the living room, and I've been there with him." Kim replied, taking a second towel to her father. She reciprocated the same fold and laid in on Gerald's forehead.

"Thank you, baby girl." He muttered in response. Kim smiled a bit.

Exiting her parents' room, she found Troy right where she left him; on the rug in the living room. Pulling the boy into her arms, she slung a black bag over her shoulder and donned a pink sun hat that covered her and Troy with its enormous shade.

"Mom, dad." Kim peeked into the room. "I'm going for a walk with Troy around town, to show him where I grew up and things like that." While Gerald made no response, Katrina nodded.

"Okay, dear. Be safe out there." Kim recited those words in her mind.

**-Monster-**

As the mother and son traveled around from park to park and from store to store, Kim couldn't help but notice how many people weren't out walking. As she looked around, she saw that the beach was filled it people sunbathing, swimming, and building sandcastles.

"Must be nice to go out and play. I wonder if any of these people have relatives who are suffering from the fever." Kim muttered as she continued down the sidewalk. Seeing a double-decker tour bus available, she decided to show Troy around by bus. It was lucky that the driver was going on a trip across all of Angel Grove.

Paying the man the fee, Kim walked upstairs and took her seat in the very front of the second floor, on the right. A woman with bobbed red hair took the second pair of seats on the left side of the bus. She watched Kim intently.

_"__Do you see him?" _A static masculine voice came from her trenchcoat. Opening the coat, she held a walkie-talkie in her hand.

"Yeah, I see him. You mean the baby, right?" The woman replied.

_"__Of course I do. I've never been surer of anything in my life! When I looked over that kid's medical records, I saw that he had 'that special surgery' done on him."_

"When did you look at his records?"

_"__He and that mother of his got into a self-made car crash. I was the one who showed his grandpa what happened as a result."_

"Oh. I forgot your occupation." When the woman looked back up, she saw Kim set their target onto the ground, and he began to walk.

"New info! The kid is walking now!" The woman hissed, hiding behind her trenchcoat again.

_"__Okay, I don't need the play by play. We're watching a one-year-old baby, not a football game."_

"I'm sorry. If you had kids, you'd be like that."

_"__Shut up. Can you see Sombre at all? Any glint in the eye?"_

"Yes, I can! I saw some dark mist move over his eyes before they went dormant again."

_"__That's the signal to get our dear Lord out of there! Get the kid, but don't make it too obvious."_

"Roger that." The static went dead. The woman took off her trenchcoat, revealing a long red dress and red sandals. Dusting herself off, she walked to Kim and Troy, who was embracing his new-found ability to walk.

"Hello there, ma'am." Kim stopped dead. That kind of voice paralyzed her with fear, like she knew who this woman was. Grabbing Troy's arm and pulling him onto her lap for a tight hug, she cautiously looked up at the greeter.

"Um, h-hello. C-Can I help you?" She asked slowly. The woman took a seat right next to Kim, her eyes never leaving Troy.

"You have a very cute baby, ma'am." She complimented.

"Oh, call me Kim." The mother absentmindedly interjected. "And thank you."

"What's his name?" The woman asked.

"Troy."

"Troy, huh? That's a perfect name for your little guy." The woman started to stroke Troy's hair, which made Kim very uncomfortable. She felt like this woman _wanted_ Troy for something if she was so captivated by him, and she would be willing to bet it had to do with Sombre.

Kim moved the woman's hand off of the boy. "Um, I'd appreciate it if you didn't…pet my baby boy. Thank you."

"Well, someone's overprotective of the host body." The woman commented. Kim looked at her in utter shock. _She knows_.

"How do you know?!" The mother gasped, holding Troy tighter.

"Why, Kimberly, I know because I do my research…"

"Don't give me that excuse! You knew that my baby is the host of Lord Sombre! How?!"

"I work for the Shadow Army, Sombre's army that watches out for him. My job, like everyone else's, is to make sure Sombre safely leaves his host body." The woman then saw Kim standing up and leaving, and she changed that by taking hold of her free arm, spinning the young mother around. "And I intend to make his exit early. Hand the boy over!"

"No!" Kim screamed as she kicked the woman's shin. As she tended to her wound, the mother ran down the stairs quickly and pestered the bus driver to stop and let her off.

Kim continued running down the sidewalk with Troy in her arms. She looked behind her often to make sure the women wasn't following her. She ran for three miles before stopping to take a breath.

"Ms. Hart!" Her eyes took in the doctor that had cared for Troy after the wreck. "I hope everything with you and Troy is going smoothly." As he continued rambling, Kim saw the woman stop at the corner, ready to pounce.

"Uh, yes, that's nice. Look, we need to go. Troy's due for his nap. Nice seeing you again!" Kim tried to run but the doctor caught her arm like the woman did.

"Ms. Hart, it seems you did not understand what I had said to you. I need Troy for an operation he oh-so desperately needs. I'm sure the Lord wouldn't be pleased with your denial." Kim's blood ran cold. The doctor who had cared for Troy wanted him for the same reason the woman did.

"No, he won't be released! Leave us alone!" Kim screamed as she punched his nose and ran off. The woman ran to the doctor. He was angered.

"Just you wait, Kimberly Hart! Sombre will be released, and you'll wish you'd given Troy to us!"

**-Monster-**

"We made it!" Kim breathed out as she shut the front door. The sun had already set in the sky, and the Hart couple would be worried sick about her and Troy. "Mom! Dad! Troy and I are home!" Kim called out.

The room remained silent, and that made her worry.

She walked to the bedroom door, and opening it, she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her parents up and watching the television. They laughed as something comedic happened on the show.

"Whew! You're both okay!" Kim stated in relief, taking a seat next to her father. She gave Troy to her mother, and Katrina sat him down on the bed and held his waist so that he wouldn't fall off.

"We couldn't be better, Kimberly." Gerald admitted as he kissed his daughter's cheek.

"Yep! The fever completely went away for the both of us, and we waited for you to return home. Did the walk go well?" Katrina asked, smiling.

"Well, the doctor who cared for Troy and some other woman with bobbed red hair attacked us. They both wanted my baby." Kim hugged her father tightly. "They claimed they'll get him one day. I just don't know why they want him…" Kim kicked herself mentally for lying to her parents.

"Well, dear, maybe they can't have children, and seeing little Troy made them want him. Kids don't remember anything for the first five years of life, so they figured they could take him while he's still an infant." Katrina offered her idea, and Kim took that as her own alibi.

"Yeah, baby girl, maybe they just wanted Troy because they were jealous of the relationship between the two of you." Gerald added. Kim smiled at them both and reached out to Troy, stroking his hair in love. That's different than the stroking of hair for malicious interest.

After a few strokes, Troy began to squirm around a bit.

"Troy, what's wrong?" Katrina asked in worry. Kim leaned over and pulled him into her arms. She then sat them both down on the bedroom rug, and what the Hart family heard next shocked them all to no end, joy bursting inside of them.

It was Troy's first word: "Mama".

Kim donned a wide, goofy smile towards her growing son. She felt a dash of pride that she was the baby's first word.

"Aw, Kim, Troy learned his first word all by himself! What an accomplishment!" Katrina cooed. "You're gonna have a smart boy on your hands, no doubt about it."

"He did better than you, Kim." Gerald chuckled. "You needed help saying 'Dada' as your first word. It took you two weeks to say it right, nevertheless at all."

"Gerald!" Katrina gasped in embarrassment.

"No, Mom, it's fine. I'm really proud of Troy for saying his first word with no help at all." She looked down at her son. "Can you do it again, Troy?"

"Mama." The boy deadpanned before reaching far out in front of him.

"Good boy! Mama's so proud of you!" Kim complimented as she kissed his cheek. Troy giggled loudly before standing up and walking over to Gerald. He pulled the one-year-old into his lap.

"Kim, I didn't know Troy had learned how to walk!" Katrina was taken aback in utter shock.

"I didn't find out until today while we were riding a bus. He started to walk across the floor and I was overflowing with pride and joy. He's growing up so fast." Kim sighed blissfully.

"He sure is." Gerald commented before looking at Troy. "Okay, Troy, can you say 'Papa'?"

The boy said nothing to him.

"He'll need help with that."

"I think he was ignoring you." Katrina chuckled. Kim pulled Troy into her arms and walked to the doorway. She leaned towards his ear. "Good job, Troy. Remember to do that when you're around Grandpa, okay?" She whispered before she kissed his forehead and returned to her parents.

"Seriously, we should teach in flash cards!" Gerald argued, but Katrina had no will to do so.

"Don't worry, Dad, after Troy turns two I'll show him some cards so he can learn more words." Kim only did that to please him.

"Good." He yawned and laid down in his bed. "Well, I'm gonna call it a night." Katrina nodded with him as the two got settled in bed and fell asleep.

Kim had softly shut the door to the room and closed her door behind her. As she changed into pajamas before changing Troy into his, she didn't want to have the Shadow Army take Troy from his crib, so he was going to sleep in bed next to her. Placing the pacifier into his mouth and giving him his teddy bear form his late father, the two laid in bed together.

"Mama." Troy whispered.

"Baby." Kim whispered back as they both fell asleep at the same time.


	5. Snowbird

**_Chapter 5: Snowbird_**

_Date: December 10__th__, 1999_

"Say 'apple'." Kim coached as she held up a flash cards of the fruit. Like she had promised, she was teaching Troy more words to say now that he is two years old. He already learned lot of words after an hour of cards: Mama, Papa, yes, no, walk, run, car, house, dog, cat, sun, rain, snow, and now apple.

"Apphl." Troy answered, looking down at the plastic kiddie table, a coloring book right in front of him. He took a red crayon from the plastic cup and began scribbling into the coloring book.

"Good job!" Kim cooed, smiling even though she knew he had pronounced it wrong. She set the card down and revealed one with a bird. "Okay, Troy, now say 'bird'."

The boy stopped coloring to look up at his mother once more. "Bird."

"Perfect! Keep it up!" Kim cheered ruffling his dark brown hair. Seeing that they should take a small break to let Troy color, Kim looked around the house. Katrina and Gerald had just left to buy groceries, and it would be awhile as Kim saw snow falling.

_Odd. _She thought before looking back at Troy. He was still coloring a dinosaur, but it was more like he was scribbling all over it, blocking it out. She knew he didn't want anything at the moment, so she got up and walked around the house.

It was foolish of her to leave Troy alone in the living room, since the family is now aware of the Shadow Army, but Kim knew he wouldn't want to leave his coloring behind. As she walked through the house, she could see pictures of herself when she was younger. She smiled wide as she took a picture with a younger Katrina and Gerald as they stood together in a field of tall grass. She was eight years old.

Then, Kim remembered where the family was; a campground. While it was too cold for camping, Kim thought she could take one picture with her and her parents. But this time, Troy would be in the portrait. If her husband was still alive, so would he…

_Then it's settled. I'll ask Mom and Dad about it when they come home later._ Kim thought to herself as she smiled contently.

"_Mama!_" She heard Troy shout loudly. It sounded like a cry for help, a cry of distress. That cry reminded her of people calling out for the Power Rangers when she was one.

She heard the cry again. "_Mama!_"

"_Troy!_" Kim shouted back. "_I'm coming!_"

When she came back into the living room, the screen door to the backyard had its windows broken and Troy nowhere to be seen. Kim then ran into the backyard, and she saw a man holding a squirming and screaming Troy in one of his arms.

"Hey!" Kim called as she ran over and pulled the man down onto the grass. She reached for his arm and try to pry his grip off of Troy. "Ugh, he's not yours!"

"No, he belongs to us." He told her coldly as he gripped her arm hard and threw her across the lawn.

"Mama!" Troy cried out to her in concern. The man slowly got to his feet and held the boy's ear to his thick lips. "Don't worry, dear Lord, you'll be free."

"N-No." Kim whispered as she hissed in pain before getting back on her feet. "NO!"

"Huh? Oh, God!" The man shouted as he saw Kim charge at him again. She tackled him, but missed and fell face-first into the grass, getting mouthfuls of dirt.

"I can't escape if she's going to keep attacking…I guess I have to do this." He muttered as he began to squeeze Troy between his arm and torso. The boy cried out and coughed violently, and the minute the man heard something snap from inside the boy, he dropped him and fled the yard.

"Troy?" Kim coughed as she got on her knees. She saw a body lying face-first in the yard, his coughs and cries muffled.

"TROY!" Kim cried as she ran to the body, pulling him into her arms. She saw dried tears stuck to his face and blood was slowly leaking out of the corner of his mouth. He coughed loudly before meeting his mother's eyes.

"M-Ma…ma…" Troy uttered out softly before gently shutting his eyes.

"No…no, no, no!" Kim whispered in worry as she ran back into the house. Laying Troy down in her bed, she quickly ran to her parents' room and called the Hart's neighbor, Ralph, for medical assistance since she knew he was a retired doctor. She would've called 911, but she suspected the paramedics of complete allegiance to the Shadow Army.

**-Monster-**

"Hmm…he has a few broken rib bones and some blood vessels were compressed, but I think he'll be okay." Ralph finalized as he removed his stethoscope from Troy's chest and pulled the pink blanket up to cover the boy.

"Thank you so much, Ralph." Kim stated.

"Of course, he'll need a long period of time taken for recovery. The blood vessels that were harmed will be able to move back into their original shape quickly, but the rib injuries will be awhile. He can _walk_ around, but he'll puncture a lung if he runs and plays around."

"Okay." Kim nodded. "Anything else?"

"Troy may be suffering from a fever, but I'm not exactly sure. Do you have a thermometer?"

"Yes, in the bathroom." Ralph then left the room and immediately returned with a digital one, placing it gently into Troy's ear. After a small beep sounded, Ralph shook his head and sighed.

"Just as I thought; he's running a fever."

"How bad is it?" Kim asked in worry.

He showed her the degrees. _103._

"I'm not sure if it's safe to left him to go outside in this weather, Kimberly." Ralph stated, a serious tone following. "The cold could kill him."

"I…no, I'm gonna try to get him outside."

"Alright, but call me if anything happens, okay?" Kim nodded, and Ralph left the house afterward.

_I can't believe this._ Kim thought. _First we're attacked by the Shadow Army again, and now Troy basically can't leave the house until he recovers from his ailment. This sucks._

"_Kimberly Ann Hart, get out here!_" Kim heard her father's shout as she ran to the living room.

"What do you make of this?!" Gerald shouted, gesturing to the broken windows of the screen door.

"I…Troy…well…" Kim stuttered out, but Katrina silenced her.

"Was it those two trying to take Troy?" She asked in a whisper. When Kim nodded, she felt her father wrap his arms around her, letting his daughter cry into his coat. Katrina stroked her back, feeling the vibrations of Kim's muffled cries.

"It's okay, baby girl. It's okay." Gerald comforted. Kim then ripped herself away from her parents and ran upstairs.

"I'll talk to her, you call window repairs." Gerald whispered to Katrina.

**-Monster-**

"Kim?" The man asked as he entered her room. His eyes then caught sight of Troy, but it didn't look like he was napping.

"Troy?" Gerald asked cautiously as he reached out to shake the boy awake.

"_Don't touch him!_"

He turned to see Kim with a face full of anger, tears pouring out like a skinny waterfall. "His ribs are broken. Some guy stormed in and tried to kidnap Troy when my back was turned. I stopped him, but as a passing note, he broke Troy's ribs." She walked to the opposite side of the bed and laid down on it, softly stroking Troy's cheek. "What makes it worse is that he's suffering from a fever, so he's pretty much housebroken."

"That's awful." Gerald commented. He noticed something different with Kim's demeanor. It was like she had something on her mind.

"Anything you need, Kim?"

"Oh…actually, there is. I want to visit the campground we went to when I was eight."

"Why?"

"I was walking around the house and I remembered the picture when I saw it. I want to take another picture there…with Troy."

"Kim…" Gerald began. "You said it yourself; he's housebroken. He can't leave or he'll get hurt, adding to his ailment. I'm sorry, baby girl, but we can't go now, not when Troy's sick and hurt."

"Daddy, please? You wouldn't want to upset your little girl, do you?" She asked, giving her father the best puppy-dog eyes she could.

**-Monster-**

"I can't believe I gave into Kimberly." Gerald mumbled angrily as he, Katrina, Kim, and Troy were walking across the snowy path. It had been an hour drive from their house to the mountain, but all the while, Troy looked awful. He was bundled up for the cold, but he looked like he didn't want to come, nevertheless wake up. Peeking out from his red scarf, he had red blush marks that flaunted his fever off and his eyes looked hazy and lost; it seemed like he was half-awake.

Kim considered herself a bit lucky that the fever came around; Troy would've punctured a rib if it was the injury itself. He even refused to get dressed since he felt incredibly lethargic, but Kim forced them on: a big red scarf that covered his mouth and nose, a puffy blue jacket, and dark jeans that were snug on Troy, thanks to his tight, black snow boots.

Katrina looked over at Kim, who was gently cradling Troy in her arms as she trailed behind her parents a bit. "Kimberly, are you sure you want to do this now?"

Although she didn't look like she wanted to come, she nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Okay, but if Troy's fever acts up or something happens with his ribs, we're going back. Do you understand me?"

Kim only nodded as they walked on.

It had been another hour, but all the Hart family saw was a long road of snow and glimpses of asphalt. Kim felt tired herself, but hearing Troy's voice snapped her out of it.

"Mama…walk." Troy asked, and Kim could barely make out what he said, but she heard 'walk'.

"You wanna walk with us?"

Troy nodded slowly. Kim gently stood him up on the ground and held his hand tight as they continued. He moved like a turtle, which meant Kim had to move at his speed. On the walk, Troy looked around at the snow-covered trees and ground, his feet crunching through the snow on the road. One thing crossed through his line of vision, and Troy spotted a white owl with a black beak and thick, black curves on its abdomen.

"Snowbird!" He shouted. Katrina, Gerald, and Kimberly stopped and looked to where Troy was looking.

"What the?" Gerald asked.

"Wow, a snow owl. Good eye, Troy!" Kim softly cheered.

"Wait, is that Winter?" Katrina asked. Taking a close look, she confirmed her belief. "It is Winter! Gerald, Kimberly, Lydia's nearby!"

"Really?" Maybe she can share her shelter." Gerald stated. He looked over at Troy. "Someone needs it."

"Snowbird!" Troy waved at Winter the owl. Kim smiled.

"Winter, are you able to take us to your owner?" Katrina asked, and the bird flew off down the path in reply, landing on a tree.

"She must be that way. Once we get there, maybe she'll have a place for Troy to rest." Katrina added as the family walked. Troy then let go of his mother's hand.

Checkpoint by checkpoint, the Hart family kept going. Katrina and Gerald sent worried glances at Troy, who seemed to slow down the closer they got.

Then, the Hart family heard a soft cry. They all looked down, and when Troy raised his head up, Kim froze in fear when she saw black, dripping eyes.

Sombre was trying to release himself while Troy was weak.

_No…not now!_ Kim thought as she pulled Troy into her arms, tightening the scarf around his mouth. She ran off, leaving her scared and confused parents behind.


	6. Cataclysm

**_Chapter 6: Cataclysm_**

_Date: December 11__th__, 1999_

"Kim, dear. Wake up." Katrina lightly shook her daughter awake, and the young mother slowly rose from her bed. Looking over next to her, Troy was still asleep, the scarf tightly wrapped around his mouth.

"Um, dear, are you going to remove that from his mouth? It looks like you're suffocating him."

"Oh! Yeah, I guess I should…do that." Kim gently pulled off the scarf, but that still woke her son up.

"Mmm…Mama?" Troy looked over at Kim, rubbing his eyes. Yesterday was rough for him. Kim wasn't running incredibly gently when she made her way to her aunt Lydia's house, and he could feel his ribs scream out. The door flung open, and she could hear a collection of gasps from the woman. Troy was then taken and gently laid in the bed Kim fell asleep on. Lydia had his fever subside for good with a special tea remedy she kept in the kitchen. Fortunately, it also kept Sombre inside, preventing the first release of many.

"Kim! Katrina! Breakfast time!" Gerald called into the room. "You guys hungry?"

"No, I'm not." Kim answered.

"Okay, dear. Should we bring Troy out to eat with us?"

"No, just heat up a bottle, please." Kim stated as the adults left the room. She pulled Troy over and his head rested on her shoulder.

"Mama, I…" Troy began, trailing off.

"Troy, do you feel okay?" Kim asked as she pulled him onto her stomach. Her brown eyes were inches away from his blue eyes.

"Yes."

"Good. Just making sure." She kissed his head.

"I want to…go play." Kim was taken aback at his ability to speak a coherent sentence. Maybe her father taught him words or he picked them up. She hoped it was the first one…

"Troy, you can't go out and play. You're hurt."

"No I'm not. I'm okay!" The boy pouted.

"Baby, please trust me. That man hurt you, and the doctor told me to not have you play outside."

"…Could we walk?"

"Hmm…sure thing. After breakfast, we'll go walking." Troy smiled at her just as Katrina handed Kim the bottle.

"Couldn't you get him a sippy cup?" Katrina asked Kim.

"I would, but I don't have one." Kim gave her a look. Her mother simply rolled her eyes and left to eat with her sister and husband. Kim sat up in the bed and Troy sat on her lap. He took hold of the bottle and began drinking from the nipple as Kim wrapped her arms around him and stared at the wall, smiling. Everything was right so far…_so far._

Soon enough, Troy finished the bottle, and Kim took it from him. They both came off of the bed, with Kim placing the pacifier into his mouth and wrapping the area with his scarf as a precaution.

"Mom, Troy and I are going out walking!" Kim shouted.

"Okay, but don't go too far!" Was the reply sent back to them.

**-Monster-**

Only a half an hour passed, and Kim felt winded. Maybe it was because they had walked deep into the forest, or maybe it was because Troy was pretty short. Either one strained her legs…and back.

"Troy, can we please take a break?" She whined. The boy nodded, and they found a log to rest on. Kim secured Troy on her lap. The boy removed his pacifier and lowered his scarf a bit.

"Mama, tell me about Papa." He asked her.

"Grandpa Gerald? Why don't you ask him yourself?" She laughed.

"No…_my_ Papa." Kim gasped; Troy was completely serious about this. He wanted to learn about his daddy, a topic Kim wished she never had to talk to him about.

"Well, Troy, your daddy and I were boyfriend and girlfriend in high school. We really loved each other, but I had to move to Miami to pursue my dream, and I met someone else. After daddy finished work he had, he came to find me, and lucky me, I broke up with the guy I met in Miami. He moved there, and eventually, we got married. Then, we had you." She pinched her son's cheek while she said that, the boy giggling as he felt his mother's fingers gently pull his skin.

"Where is he?" Troy asked. Kim froze; _this _was the topic she didn't want to cover with him.

"Well, that's for when you're older, baby." Troy looked down at his kicking feet. If Kim put off something for when he's older, he figured it was his fault and his mom didn't want to break his heart when he was so young.

"Did Papa not like me?" Kim looked at him with shocked eyes.

"Are you kidding? Troy, he _loved_ you! You coming into our lives was the best thing to happen to us!"

"It was?"

"Of course! He spoiled you rotten when you were born. I got jealous that he got you more things than he got me." She winked at her son, and he giggled.

"Troy, you're just like your father; free-spirited, heroic, and never afraid of any challenge. You even look like him, but your eyes…those are unique." Kim tapped his nose gently before pulling him into her arms, walking down the path.

Eventually, they made it to a river, and when Kim put her finger in, she shivered and immediately pulled it out. The water was below freezing, well, to her anyway,

"No, Troy, Don't do that." She held his wrist and pulled him away from the stream, putting his glove back on. Suddenly, they heard leaves rustle. More began to shake, and soon, Kim and Troy were surrounded by goons…Shadow Army goons.

"What do you want now?! Can't you just leave us alone?!" Kim shouted at them in anger. The men and women simply kept their positions as the bobbed woman and the doctor came in from one side of the circle.

"Why, hello Kimberly. Nice to see you again." The doctor greeted. "Isn't that right, Rhonda?"

"Yes, Edgar." The woman, Rhonda, smirked.

"I hope you'll take us up on our offer, Kimberly. _Give us the child._" His voice cut though the cold air like a saw.

"No way!" Kim answered, pulling Troy into her arms. He was leaned in real close.

"Troy, I want you to run as far away as you can from here; try and get back to the cabin. I'll handle these people, okay?" Kim whispered, and the boy nodded.

"Okay, you win, _Edgar_. You can have Troy." Kim mocked the man's name as she set her son down. As he and Rhonda got closer, Troy heard his mother scream "NOW!" and he took off. Running past the two with ease and going deeper into the forest, Troy looked to see the two chasing him. He felt a stabbing sensation in his chest, but kept going.

"Get him! He can't get away!" He heard Rhonda shout and they got faster. Troy only hoped he could keep going or that Kim would get to him before they did.

**-Monster-**

"Kiai! Hiyah!" Kim shouted as she kicked another member down. It was getting tiring, and by now, Troy might've already been caught by Edgar and Rhonda.

But Troy never gives up. Like his father.

As she kicked the last member down, Kim ran off towards Troy, Edgar, and Rhonda. The run was a lot longer than she expected. Troy's little legs must be carrying him a long way.

"Troy?" She called, her voice echoing through the forest. "Troy, can you hear me?"

There was no response.

Kim felt a deep pang of worry. She could just imagine poor little Troy, screaming out for her and Edgar and Rhonda hold him into the air and chant their victory.

She tried one more time. "Troy?"

"Mama!" It was incredibly faint, but that was Troy's cry.

"Troy! If you can hear me, keep shouting! I'm coming!" Kim shouted as she took off in the direction of her son's voice.

**-Monster-**

How long was he running? It seemed like an eternity, or so Troy assumed. He had no idea where the cabin actually was, but he figured he was going the right way. Edgar and Rhonda were still hot on his tail, and the little boy felt the chest pain grow stronger.

He only hoped he could last until they caught him…or until he died in the cold.

"C'mon, only a little bit more!" He felt a hand hook onto his poufy jacket, and soon he was being lifted into the air.

"Yes! We did it! The host body is finally ours!" Edgar chanted, holding a flailing Troy into the air. "Tonight, Sombre will be released and everything will come to fruition!"

"Mama!" Troy screamed. He was lowered to meet Edgar's face.

"Oh, you poor soul. Your mommy isn't coming for you; our soldiers are 'taking care' of her. Shame, though, the only reason you exist is to cater to Sombre until he's strong enough to break free."

"What?" The boy asked, confused.

"Ed, he's two. He won't understand what you're saying." Rhonda reminded him. Troy was lowered into her waiting arms. "Now, let's get him back to the home base before Kimberly finds us." The two took off running immediately, and Troy was trying to scream, punch, and kick his way out.

"Mama!" He shrieked.

"Oh, shut up! She's not coming for you, and she never will! Face it, she lost, we won, and you're ours now." Rhonda shouted as she smacked the boy on the back of his head, causing him to cry out more.

"Troy?" That was her! It was Kim, coming to save him.

"Mama!" Troy cried in glee. "Mama!"

"Troy! I'm coming!" As soon as she said that, Troy could see her running as fast as she could towards him and the two grown-ups.

And she looked angry and determined to get him back.

"Oh, no! Kimberly's found us!" Edgar shouted. Troy reached out his arm for Kim to grab, and then they could go back to the cabin and rest.

"Whoa!" The two kidnappers shouted as they tripped over an extended tree root. Troy slipped out of Rhonda's grasp and he tumbled until he was laying on the last bit of land on the highest point of the mountain. He could see Edgar, Rhonda, and Kim running towards him, but then Kim was wrestled to the ground and Troy felt his body going numb and saw Edgar with a gun. Edgar paralyzed him from getting up and running away.

It was over. The Shadow Army had won.

Edgar was getting closer to Troy, and between his him and Rhonda hurting his mother, he couldn't take it anymore.

"**_STOP!_**"

Just as the shrill scream left his mouth, a large wave of black fire emitted from his body and knocked Rhonda and Edgar onto their backs roughly, but it also caused something no one, not even Troy, could reverse.

The entire forest behind them was on fire, and it was burning with every second passing.

Kim got up, pulled Edgar and Rhonda to the edge of the mountain, and released them into the wind, hearing their screams echo as they fell.

"Well, we don't need to worry about them for a while." Kim stated, wiping her hands on her jacket. She turned behind her and ran to pull Troy into her arms. "Oh, baby, are you okay?"

Troy said nothing as he watched the forest burn in black flames.

Kim turned to see the forest's condition, and she could feel her shoulder getting wet. Troy was crying into her should, upset with himself for burning the forest down.

"Shh, it's okay, Troy." Kim cooed, patting his back as she walked down the charred yet open pathway. The cabin was in plain sight, but Kim saw Lydia with a shocked look. Katrina and Gerald were with her, and Kim only wanted to talk about when they return home and when Troy could feel better.


	7. A Nightmare

**_Chapter 7: A Nightmare _**

_Date: June 1__st__, 2000_

It was rough to fall asleep in her bed after the events on the mountaintop. Kim barely spoke to her parents about it whenever they asked, and she kept Troy incredibly close to her whenever the duo went out. She turned depressed in a way that can't be explained. But with Troy, she was happy.

Looking over her shoulder, she looked at a picture of her husband. "Oh, Tommy…I miss you." Kim murmured. She then looked up at the ceiling from her bed, Troy asleep next to her. When she looked at Troy, she saw Tommy whenever he came to mind.

The Tommy in question being Tommy Oliver.

Kim fondly remembered the moment they exchanged vows for marriage. Before, she thought that Tommy would hate her for the letter, so when they found themselves at the same coffee shop at the same time, she expected the worst. To her surprise, Tommy had forgiven her since he knew long-distance relationships rarely ever work. He then dropped the bombshell that he was moving to Miami to be closer to Kim…and he had asked to be the couple they once were. Kim immediately agreed, knowing their romance may not be as strong now that they're actual adults instead of crazy teenagers.

While Kim lived in the house Coach Schmidt had gotten her, Tommy lived in a run-down apartment not too far from her. Only a few months later did Tommy ask for Kim's hand in marriage. After calling and getting immediate approval from her parents, Kim had said 'yes' and the marriage was in full swing almost seven months later. The power couple exchanged a strong kiss, stronger than any they've had before. Kimberly Ann Hart was now Kimberly Ann Hart-Oliver.

Or, for a shortened term, Kimberly Oliver.

Tommy then moved himself out of his apartment and into Kim's house…the same house where they would soon start a family. Within seven, maybe eight months, Kimberly dropped the bomb that she was three months pregnant. Tommy was extremely excited at the possibility of a little boy he can play with or a little girl who would be the practical clone of her mother. Either way, he was excited.

A month later, the couple learned the baby was a boy. While Kim was a bit downtrodden she didn't have a little girl, she was happy nonetheless because they were going to have a child. Everything was perfect for the Oliver couple; they were happily married, they lived in a great place, and they were going to start a family.

That was, until Kim went to the hospital six months in.

She had felt unnatural contractions too strong for labor early one morning and Tommy nearly pulled in the attention of Miami police as he drove to the hospital. A few hours had passed since doctors took Kim in before Tommy was pulled into the hallway that hosted Kim's room. He looked in to see her surrounded by doctors as they tried to help her calm down.

_"__What's up, doc? Is Kim going to be okay? Is the baby okay?" Tommy had asked._

_"__The baby is fine and so is the mother. We had originally thought she was having a miscarriage, but now that belief has been suspended. You can talk to her, if you'd like." The doctor gestured to the group of doctors leaving, and Tommy entered from where they left._

_"__Kim! Thank God you're okay!" Tommy breathed out as he ran in and kissed her on the lips. He pulled up a chair and laid a gentle hand on her stomach, rubbing it._

_"__Yeah, I'm okay. I just care about the baby; it hurt when the contractions kicked in. I wasn't even big enough yet and I thought I was going into labor. Or…the baby was going to die."_

_"__Be thankful that didn't happen. We're still going to have our little boy."_

Three months later, on December 6th, 1997, they did have their little boy. But there was a small problem…he had complete black eyes. It was like the child was born with no eyes at all, but this darkness seemed to drip like water. Kim was scared…but Tommy had remembered what he was taught when he saw those kind of eyes. It was the eyes of someone who was possessed by Lord Sombre.

Back in ancient times, Sombre was known as 'The Curse Elemental', existing alongside the elementals of ice, fire, life, and water. The other four left him in the dark, so with the followers who believed in him, he caused a massive revolution against the four beings. He killed all four, but their powers would be passed down for generations to come. Sombre was then killed by a stray blast that was too much to bear. The blast reduced him into a small ball of dark power and he went across millenniums upon millenniums trying to find a body to inhibit until he became strong enough to break free in a rejuvenated body. He died on December the 6th at the time of immediate dawn, and in current terms that was December 6th at around five thirty in the morning.

That happened to be the exact time Tommy and Kim's child was born.

Tommy explained the legend to Kim calmly as she tried to comprehend what was happening to their child. Then, a doctor that looked to be out of a horror movie came in and asked for the baby. Kim gave him what he asked for, but Tommy still followed him to observe. From behind a corner, Tommy watched as the man had a finger on the baby's chest and forehead and heard a strange incantation that seemed to be spoken in Latin. As he removed his fingers, Tommy saw tiny blades drip with the baby's blood, and the doctor reached for a scalpel, possibly trying to fix the holes he made. Tommy then left, not wanting to see any more of it. He re-entered Kim's hospital room and sat down, holding her hand as the doctor came back with their child. Kim held the boy in her arms as the man planted him there. Two deep sapphire eyes stared at the couple.

Tommy felt like he was walking on air as they bestowed the name "Troy" to their child. Troy Andrew Oliver.

The happy family enjoyed the two weeks after Troy was born, with Tommy goofing off with him in the backyard or just laying with him on the ground in the living room. Kim would occasionally see Tommy with a bucket of new toys for Troy, and the two would play the night away. She would always see Tommy slowly lay Troy in his crib in the nursery and he would turn the mobile on and wait until the boy was fully asleep. It was the best two weeks of Tommy's life.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

Tommy found himself sacrificing his life force to his son after Sombre escaped instantly. He caught the spirit fly into the child, but as he took his last breath, he knew that Kim would still be there to care for Troy as he fights the demon inside of him.

To Kim, her husband's death was the worst. It was every wife's nightmare to lose their husband to death.

Not even a month later, it came time to change her last name back to "Hart", but she kept Troy's last name as "Oliver", for the boy was the spitting image of his father...and was the only thing Kim had left from him. No sacred possessions, no kind of gift from him to her...Troy was the only thing Kim could have as a reminder of Tommy Oliver, the man she loved dearly.

"Tommy..." Kim muttered out loud as she continued to stare at Troy. That was when her parents entered her room.

"Kimberly, please...we just want to talk." Katrina tried to reason.

"I don't want to talk about what happened to the forest." She replied.

"Kim, we're going to talk about this now. I'm done with this attitude you have towards us." Gerald replied sternly. Kim could only sigh.

**-Monster-**

"What do you want to know?" Kim asked. She had woken Troy up and the four had moved to the backyard. The Hart family were sitting on the white plastic chairs that were next to one another as Troy chased the flurry of fireflies buzzing around him. They watched intently just in case something decided to pop out.

"Where did the black fire come from?" Katrina asked.

"It came from...it came from..." Kim knew she had to keep it secret, but when it came to her parents, they would learn everything. "Troy."

"What?!" They both asked in unison.

"That's right. Troy exerted the force of the fire from his body. He was fed up with what was happening around him at the time, with me being beaten up and him being paralyzed by a Shadow Army member."

"How would a two-year-old like Troy be able to do something like that? And this Shadow Army...?" Gerald asked.

"...You've heard the legend of the Elementals, right?"

"Of course! Who hasn't heard this legend? Every history book had one entire section on it. Why?" Katrina answered.

"Well, when it came to the curse elemental...Lord Sombre...he was reduced to a ball of dark energy, and he would implant himself in a human until he had enough energy to be in his own body. Well, um, the exact moment of his death was December the 6th at the break of dawn, and..."

"Baby girl, where are you going with this?" Gerald asked before pausing. "Wait, Troy was born on December 6th at 5:30 in the morning."

"Yeah." Kim slowly nodded.

"So that means...oh, Kimberly, it can't be...not sweet little Troy." Katrina had a look of shock-turned-horror on her face. What her daughter was implying couldn't be true, it just couldn't...

"Troy's the...host body?" Gerald whispered sharply in Kimberly's ear, to which she nodded. Both parents leaned back in the chairs, faces crossed with disbelief. It was like someone shot them through the heart with a gun. It hurt them to know their only grandson was the carrier for one of the most evil beings the universe has ever spawned. And to have such an optimistic and compassionate child be the victim...it shook the Hart couple to the core.

"No...no, not Troy...it could've been anyone..." Katrina mumbled.

"Someone else should have this. Troy has so much to look forward to..." Gerald added. Kim had an expression of sadness as she saw her parents' frozen state. She didn't mean to do anything like this, but this was real, this was the truth.

"Mom, Dad...why don't you go to bed? I'll stay here with Troy and the fireflies." The two made no reaction as the got up and walked back into the house. She got up and walked over to Troy, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The boy looked over at her and smiled wide.

"Oh, Troy..." Kim softly cooed as she saw her son close his eyes and laugh when a firefly landed on his nose. Seeing him happy and now healthy hurt her deeply, but for now, she laughed with him as they marveled at the glowing fireflies.

**A/N: I _finally_ got the OK to reveal Troy's father. So yes, Tommy is Troy's father in "Just Another Snowflake". Chapter 19 (I think) does spoil it if you read closely...but that's really it.**


End file.
